The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

DawnW

Mothernerd was indeed correct, no lies or disinformation, and not even just innocently inaccurate. I have reported the abusive post.

cuddlymarm

The main reason the littlies are going back to school is for the childcare and no other reason, to release parents back to work. There were people on tv last night spouting about it damaging a young child’s future by missing the next few weeks at school but common sense says that it will affect the gcse and a level kids more but as they don’t need childcare that’s ok. I think it’s a shame that teachers are going to have to be in harms way for this. It should be individual choice whether you choose to return or not. 

Onebrokelady

dandy-candy said:

-taff said:

I think you need to check your facts. From the  Gov covid statistic site. https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Daily number of COVID-19 associated UK deaths

627

Number of additional deaths on Tuesday 12 May 2020

Those are covid associated deaths, ie the person was covid positive at the time of death but could have died of a stroke, heart attack, cancer etc. If you click on “about the data” at the top of the page you linked it explains “ Deaths of people who have tested positively for COVID-19 could in some cases be due to a different cause.” It is not accurate to say all these people died of covid

But if you watch the news and they say 627 deaths on a particular date you are going to take that as the total for that day,that doesn't make you a troll or a liar !

singlestep

People generally post on this thread in good faith and it's at its best when it supports and encourages others.  We're all anxious and desperate for things to be better and I'd like to think that misconceptions, where they exist or are expressed, are just that and can be contradicted or debated.  We don't all need to agree but the support available here is invaluable.  
For those of us who have lost somebody during this, it really makes no difference that somebody may have had a heart condition or whatever.  We have lost somebody prematurely who had plenty of life left in them but for that one thing more.

elaine241

My boys are teenagers and are quite enjoying being off school and home on the farm. The google classroom is working really well and they seem to be keeping up with their work, although a couple of less favoured subjects have to be nagged about! Welsh and RE! I find the younger one is actually working better at home. At school he is easily distracted , acts the class clown and fails to concentrate when his friends are about. His older brother seems to be a good influence on him and both are studying quietly downstairs. As for returning to a crowded secondary school, part of which has small rooms , again over my dead body! My boys are thriving , learning well and the eldest will be taking GCSE's next year. I am not prepared to send them back until September when hopefully the schools have had sufficient time to plan the return, rather than have to try and hurriedly make a plan.  

pollyanna_26

cuddlymarm said:

The main reason the littlies are going back to school is for the childcare and no other reason, to release parents back to work. There were people on tv last night spouting about it damaging a young child’s future by missing the next few weeks at school but common sense says that it will affect the gcse and a level kids more but as they don’t need childcare that’s ok. I think it’s a shame that teachers are going to have to be in harms way for this. It should be individual choice whether you choose to return or not. 

I honestly beilieved a phased return would begin in September. It's nearly the middle of May now and schools would break up in July until September. Teaching unions are in favour of online tuition for GCSE and A level students.

It's driven by the economy as it's getting expensive to keep workers at home. However it cost billions to bail out the banks no problem.

I watched footage of the trains and buses this morning as people piled aboard aboard not many face coverings, Many crammed together at times. If we don't get a spike I'll be amazed.

polly.

[Deleted User]

Hold your nerve everyone, we can't do anything to change this situation, I think lifting the lock down today is too soon but I don't have the facts and stats that are driving the decisions from the government so I have no idea what criteria they're using to have made the decision.  It's scary, it seems not terribly sensible and I fear many more cases of viral infection in a couple of weeks time.....however, it's done and we can't change what other people do only be responsible for our own actions and we are most definitely doing all we can to stay away from anyone else.  I know we're lucky to be retired and I feel desperately sad for those having to go back to work unsure about travelling safely, working safely when they arrive at their place of employment and going home to families not knowing if they are carrying the virus or not.  All we can do is our best!

mothernerd

elaine241 said:

I think the posters are both right, typo excepted. There could have been 210 in hospital settings and 627 in all settings that mentioned Covid 19 on the death certificate as a cause of /or part cause of death. Either way the numbers are still high whichever statistic you look at, remembering that their are people and families behind every one.:-(
Btw am I going mad? I am sure there was a long detailed reply this morning to my slightly wobbly /worried post. I was going to re read it as I found it helpful and had some interesting thoughts and ideas. Has it been deleted? Please put it back up if at all possible I am sure it was warmly received by the majority of people on here!

Yes, I came back, read what dandy candy said and immediately deleted it. I'm an occasional visitor to this thread and I've never been called a troll before. I have no intention of offending regular posters. Then I read the kind comments by others. I'll try to put down roughly what I said
1   You aren't paranoid (or it's a healthy response to the situation we're in). People who are prone to depression/ anxiety respond to new situations with fear not excitement - especially those who experienced crises in childhood (the part of the brain that deals with this, think it's the amadala but worried that's someone in the Star Wars film, switches to this default response). People with depression are both more intelligent and more realistic than the general population so their assessment of the situation is accurate and they can also see how this plays out further down the line. (This is called logic).
Yes, positive thinking has a role - I have severe long-term depression but manage to be happy every day - but the 'positive thinking' movement in the USA has gone so far down the line that cancer victims who's tumours return are being told that they mustn't have been positive enough. This is also the thinking that led to the sub-prime mortgage situation and subsequent world wide crash (anyone who suggested that it might not be a good idea found themselves without a job).
2   Easing of lockdown. We went into lockdown at 200 deaths per day. Some of us (not me, I am in self-isolation with my mother for 12 weeks/ 6 months/ 2 years - realistically that is what I have to look at in planning terms) are going back to work at 600 deaths per day (627, thank you). Many will not do this by choice - many are not eligible for any of the government schemes (Martin's email suggests that there will be no plans to include these). Furlough pay is to be extended to October (Martin) but the Minister has already announced that it will be cut to 60% and as a voluntary advice worker for many years this is how tapers work, therefore I would expect further reductions between now and October.
3   Choice. Many will be returning to work but not through choice. Some face the choice of feeding their families or risking exposure to the virus and for some this will mean their death or the death of someone close to them. Years of cuts in the name of Austerity have left many who are in work dependent on food banks and parents missing out meals to feed their children. Carers, health service workers, bus drivers, bin men, supermarket workers, building workers, teachers will face higher death rates because of the amount of different people they come in contact with. This virus is not dangerous because of the death rate but because of the rate of infection. 
Using public transport is not a choice for many. Rural poverty may mean that a car is necessary for work, shopping and leisure, getting children to school and activities. In urban conurbations, particularly for low paid workers, car ownership is a luxury. If they are 'forced' back to work, they 'have to' use public transport. It is being presented as a choice so that the government and employers can disclaim any responsibility for subsequent deaths .... and the press lackeys publish photos of them crammed in carriages being advised to 'face away from each other'.
4   Reopening of schools. This is utter madness (not apologising for that). I repeated some quotes from a video I watched. Parents anxious about sending their children to school (due to public pressure fining parents for non-attendance will be suspended). Teachers "you can't stop young children socialising, they have their fingers in one another's mouths", "if you have one child in the class with nits, they all have nits", "some of our special needs children are doubly incontinent, it takes two of us to clean and change them, how can we do that from 6 feet away" and health service workers.
5   Once people start to socialise infection rates and deaths will rise. A few will be those who want to party, most will be those going back to work, those who provide the services we all need and use. The purpose of this lockdown was to slow the rate of infection to allow the cash starved NHS to cope. At the moment this pressure has eased slightly and if you are infected and subsequently hospitalised they will have a bed for you - they may not have the equipment available to 'save' you (scarce resources mean that ventilators go to those with the best chance of survival) but will do everything they can for you. 
6   Food shortages. We already know that there were not enough volunteers to deliver the harvest and some crops will be lost because there were not enough workers to care for crops at earlier stages in their development. Similar situations in Italy, Spain and many other places that supply us with fresh vegetables mean that they will have reduced supplies and there will be competition for what is available. I am pretty sure that that means prices will rise.
7   Growing as much as you can at home makes sense, even if you have to do 'stealth gardening' (my mother had reduced her medium sized garden down to a few shrubs with flagged centre and stone covered borders. I told her I was ordering a polytunnel,  I'm gradually bringing things in, some bought and some soil and containers transported by me from my home on a borrowed SM trolley over the steepest canal bridge in town - she does like the half bottle pots I've stapled across the fence panel supports).
8    The last few weeks have taught me the frustrations of 'shopping by proxy'. I miss being able to nip into HB of the pound emporium for otc medicines and various other bits. I've just put in our third SM delivery order and also got a small one from Icyland. DS2 and two of mum's 'grand-children' call to ask if we need anything and mum keeps assuring them that we have 'loads of food'. I have given them small lists of things to look out for. It makes sense to me that we should continue to increase our stocks slowly and I am prepping for winter.
9   As for the squirrel, I have been looking speculatively at the wood pigeons that visit our bird table (as in I've checked that they are not endangered, numbers are rising and they are wood pigeons). I don't have the skills and I wouldn't want to do it but it may be of interest to some of the lads on the adjacent estate.
10   It was not my intention to spread alarm and despondency.  I am in lockdown with my mother (she is high risk, I have compromised immunity) in a normal winter we catch everything going and it takes months to get rid of them. My brother doesn't come near if we have a cough or cold as that alone could kill him. My ex-husband is on twice weekly dialysis with a permanent life expectancy of two weeks following various cancers. I've left my little house that I bought in 1981 and I don't even know if I will go back. I will end as I ended the previous post (I seem to have managed to make it longer and still left bits out) - we need to expect the worst, then work out which things we can do something about and work on them (the things we can't do anything about won't improve by us fretting over them).

MingVase

We will Polly. Or rather, England will. And not so much as a spike, more a tidal wave. Lemmings!

MingVase

I'm sorry MN I seem to be missing pages or something, I saw Pollyanna's as the last post.